Kathmandu – Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has issued a stern warning to Hamas and other armed groups, urging them to surrender their weapons to the Palestinian Authority.
Speaking via video at a special UN General Assembly session on the two-state solution, Abbas emphasized that the Palestinian state is the only legitimate body capable of governing and ensuring security in Gaza.
“The sole authority qualified to take full responsibility for governance and security in Gaza is the Palestinian state,” Abbas declared. He outlined a vision of a unified Palestine under one law and one legitimate security force, backed by an interim administrative committee in the West Bank with regional and international support.
Abbas made it clear that Hamas would have no role in governance. “Hamas and all factions must hand over their weapons to the Authority. We want a state without militias one law, one security force,” he stressed.
Expressing gratitude for the New York Declaration adopted in July, Abbas called it the beginning of an irreversible path to end the humanitarian crisis and Israeli occupation. The declaration envisions an independent Palestinian state, with East Jerusalem as its capital, living peacefully alongside Israel.
He pressed for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, unhindered humanitarian access through the United Nations, the release of all hostages and prisoners, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, and urgent reconstruction in both Gaza and the West Bank.
“Our people’s suffering must end. War, siege, starvation, and destruction cannot be tools of security,” he said, urging swift rebuilding through the Cairo Conference. Abbas also condemned Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attacks as well as Israeli “crimes of occupation,” including killings, detentions, and assaults on civilians.
Furthermore, he denounced Israeli settlement expansion, annexation efforts, settler violence, and repeated attacks on Islamic and Christian holy sites. “The narrative of Greater Israel violates international law and directly threatens Arab national security and global peace,” Abbas warned.
The session was co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia. In a significant moment, French President Emmanuel Macron officially announced France’s recognition of the State of Palestine, a move welcomed by Abbas and his allies.
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